Recipe: Christmas Gift Cake
Try out this recipe for Last-minute Christmas Gift Cake from the December 2021 issue of Local Beacon…
Makes 2 cakes, each serving 8
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1-1 ¾ hours depending on oven
Traditionally Christmas cakes are made well in advance but if you haven't had time try our lastminute version. Because it makes two you can also give one away as a gift, and solve two problems with one recipe!
Ingredients:
600g good-quality mixed dried fruits
150ml whisky, warmed
150g stem ginger, drained, plus:
8 tbsp ginger syrup from the jar
200g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
200g soft light brown sugar
4 large free-range eggs
2 tbsp milk
Finely grated zest of 2 small oranges and 2 lemons
50g ground almonds
150g whole glace cherries
Method:
Put the dried fruits in a bowl and pour over the whisky. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the fruit to plump up.
Briefly blend the ginger and its syrup in a mini food processor until finely chopped. Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas 3. Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.
Sift the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except the cherries. Beat with a hand-held electric whisk for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Fold in the soaked dried fruits and any whisky, the blitzed ginger and the cherries.
Spoon into the baking tin and level off. Bake for 1 to 1 ¾ hours (this depends very much on your oven. My fan oven is super-quick whereas my mother's Aga is slower). If you're unsure I recommend you check after an hour then every fifteen minutes after that, until the cake is firm and golden brown. To check, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is cooked. You can cover it loosely with foil after 1 hour if the centre needs more time. This prevents the surface darkening too much. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool.
Remove a thin slice from all sides of the cake and discard. Cut the cake in half to make 2 rectangles.
Top with marzipan and white fondant icing and decorate with a sprig of holly.
